Ep. 201 (Part 2 of 2) | In the thirteenth dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, Hameed Ali delves into the subject of knowing, or basic knowledge, at the deepest level of awareness. Different from ordinary knowledge, basic knowledge is inherent and immediate, an important feature of reality. You can know Being by being Being, he says; know consciousness by being consciousness, know peace by being peace. Being and knowing are the same thing, he explains, two sides of a coin. Some of what Hameed shares here is unique to his Diamond Approach teaching, and not found in other spiritual teachings, such as what he imparts about the origin of mind and the distinction he makes between pure being and pure awareness.

Hameed explains that we need our conceptual mind (to do our taxes, he laughs), but that reification—treating concepts as if they were real things—creates obstacles and alienates us from our true nature. The aim of all spiritual practice is to go beyond reification to immediate experience, he says. When Hameed describes the difference between pure presence and pure awareness, John wonders, how does Hameed remember the state of pure awareness when there’s no knowing in that state? And what does it feel like to experience no ground of being? Hameed answers in his usual enlightening, gently humorous way, leaving listeners in a state of open-minded wonder. Vastly illuminating, this conversation goes directly to the heart of being and the heart of knowing at the very foundation of true nature. Recorded July 17, 2025.

“Mind is not an obstacle. Not an enemy. The obstacle is the reified representation of mind. If we take the knowledge of that mind to be reality, that is the obstacle.”

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2

How does Hameed remember the state of pure awareness when there’s no knowing in that state? (00:32)
Most spiritual teachings have pure awareness and pure presence as inseparable, but in this teaching they can be distinguished (03:26)
The experience of pure awareness: transparency, translucence, freedom (04:02)
The world is not an illusion; it is the face of God (06:13)
The logos is what makes things manifest (09:48)
Connecting the dimensions of pure being and pure awareness: mind is not an obstacle (11:46)
Gurdjieff’s “stupid saints” (13:14)
Mind is not the enemy; it’s the reification of knowing that is the obstacle (14:07)
Pure awareness is more fundamental than pure being because there are no concepts; freedom is more palpable in pure awareness (17:14)
Hameed’s multiple kinds of freedom; freedom independent from the ground of being (22:10)
What does it feel like to realize there is no ground? (25:02)
Transcending conceptual dichotomies: in spiritual liberation dichotomies can be stumbling blocks, like being vs nonbeing (25:20)
Will science start to accept the ground of being? (29:38)
Is math, the Euclidean theorem, a property of reality? (32:42)
Consciousness and quantum theory (34:27)
Knowing is fundamental to the universe; it’s inherent to our true nature (38:41)
There’s no reason to have to choose between knowing and being, they’re two sides of the same thing (39:51)

Resources & References – Part 2

A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), founder of

A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series (Dialogue 13, Part 2) – Our Deepest Knowing: Awakening to Pure Being and Pure Awareness

Deep Transformation